Tumblr’s reblog function is causing the social media site trouble regarding copyright violations. Now, users panic as accounts are deleted for copyright infringement, such as when popular blogger “nosdrinker” was removed from the site. As such, many users are deleting their previous posts.
The site is rife with memes, music, pictures and gifs from movie scenes, among others. Some users are blaming the “get” button that allows users to download audio posts. As a result, Tumblr started hunting down copyright violates to avoid turning the social network into a piracy site.
But Tumblr’s Head of Communication Katherine Barna says there is no “download” or “get” button at all. It turns out that the third-party extension XKit has the “get” button, and users have confused the third party option with the official Tumblr update.
Tumblr’s Director of Trust and Safety Nicole Blumenfield provided a guide about Tumblr’s copyright infringement policy to remind their users that:
- “Tumblr staff “do not actively monitor” the site for copyright violations, and they only take action when notified by a copyright holder. If a copyright holder objects to their intellectual property being shared, they can file a claim through Tumblr’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) form.
- If a post violates copyright, Tumblr staff delete it and notify the user via email.
- If an account racks up three such notifications in 18 months, it will be terminated, as will any other accounts set up by the same user.
- If a user thinks a copyright claim is invalid, he or she can file a DMCA counter-notice. If successful, the applicable “strike” will be removed from their record and the post in question will be restored. According to Blumenfeld, ten Tumblr employees review each claim and counter-claim.”
Several of the recent DMCA takedown notices are sent by IFPI, a music-rights organization. According to the Music Times, IFPI and other music-rights companies are becoming more aggressive towards online communities like Tumblr and YouTube.
Musician and blogger Allegra Rosenberg claims to have lost her Tumblr account without even reaching the three strikes required by the DMCA rule. She says, “I received absolutely no warning from Tumblr – the only email I got regarding any copyright violation was the termination notice they sent me after they’d deleted my account.”
Rosenberg’s offending post was the “the Doctor Who theme song, posted with a bunch of gifs below it in celebration of the Doctor Who Series 6 premiere – in April 2011.” The account deletion resulted in the loss of 50,000 posts, thousands of followers, her portfolio, and a personal life record worth 5 years.
In spite of the panic, most of the deleted accounts are considered rumors and only a tiny percentage of copyright violations were penalized. Meanwhile, Tumblr is still turning a blind eye on low profile copyright violation. But if they should start hunting down infringing content seriously, they would have to start with cofounder David Karp and end up deleting almost every account.